Consumer, Enterprise Interest Lagging

5. Vendor support is off
One
of the biggest issues for Microsoft right now is that it doesn't have enough
deals in place with vendors. Earlier this year, Microsoft said that a host of
devices would be coming from several new vendors, including Asus and others,
but the big fish in that space is Motorola. So far, Motorola has hitched its
wagon to Android. If Microsoft wants to have success, it will need to play much
nicer with Motorola.

6. The apps are slow to catch up

Earlier
this month, app trackers WP7applist and Windows Phone App List reported that
Microsoft's Windows Phone Marketplace hit 25,000 available programs. That's not
a good thing when one considers that the Android Market officially has more
than 250,000 available applications (and unofficially, 425,000 apps, according
to Androidlib), and Apple's App Store has 425,000 applications. Until
Microsoft's mobile marketplace can even come close to matching those figures,
the software giant will be in trouble.
7. Mango shouldn't have been the first
updateWhen
Microsoft unveiled its Mango update, the company showed off a host of
improvements, including full multitasking, that promise a far better time using
Windows Phone 7. The only issue is all those features that Mango brings to the
table-most importantly, greater reliability-should have been available at
launch. It feels like Microsoft rushed Windows Phone 7 to the market. As a
result, the company didn't do itself any favors after consumers realized the
platform wasn't ready to compete on the same level as Android and iOS.
8. Consumer confidence is slipping
With
all the problems consumers are having updating Windows Phone 7 devices and the
issues those same folks see with the platform's hardware, it's quickly becoming
clear that customers are losing faith in Microsoft's mobile division. Even
worse, those folks are going to Android and, in some cases, Apple's iPhone to
satisfy their smartphone needs. Microsoft needs to address consumer confidence
by delivering a far better operating system with Mango. If it falls short,
its hopes for mobile dominance might be over.
9. The enterprise doesn't care
The
enterprise has always been central to Microsoft's business. Yet, when it comes
to Windows Phone 7, few companies are even considering deploying the software.
IT decision-makers realize that the platform doesn't hold up well against RIM's
BlackBerry operating system, and so far, Microsoft hasn't done anything to make
them feel any differently. It's unfortunate for Microsoft, but it appears the
corporate world is slipping away.
10. Microsoft hasn't gotten involved in
hardware
One
of the smartest things Google did was release a smartphone with its branding on
it. Although the company didn't actually develop the hardware, its Nexus One
and now the Nexus S built up hype for Android and helped push consumers to
devices running the operating system. If Microsoft wants to be a success, it
should consider offering hardware of its own. It might be out of character for
Microsoft, but at this point, taking chances will be a good thing for the
company.
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Don Reisinger is a freelance technology columnist. He started writing about technology for Ziff-Davis' Gearlog.com. Since then, he has written extremely popular columns for CNET.com, Computerworld, InformationWeek, and others. He has appeared numerous times on national television to share his expertise with viewers. You can follow his every move at http://twitter.com/donreisinger.